The environment within which an organization must operate is expected to influence its administrative and program characteristics. Since public schools operate in more complex and conflicting environments than do private schools, it is predicted that they will exhibit greater administrative complexity and less curricular coherence. These predictions are tested and largely confirmed by a review of previous research and in a new study using data from a six-county survey of a sample of private, public, and parochial schools and districts in the San Francisco Bay area. A 53-item reference list and 8 data tables are appended. (Author/TE)